Gorkha Janmukti Morcha should realize, revitalize and restrategize!

BEACON ONLINE EXCLUSIVE [THE HIMALAYAN BEACON]

BY BARUN ROY

REALIZE

Its’ faith on the National Parties may be misplaced

The formation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and its acceptance thereof was the result of the resentment against the 21 year old draconian rule imposed upon the people of the Hills by the Saviour turned Dictator Subash Ghisingh and his party Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). While Bimal Gurung, the President of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has so far rode sumptuously over the gracious love of Gorkhas in the Nation and abroad, he must not take it for granted for the people who helped him oust Subash Ghisingh may as well turn against him if he does not deliver. Subash Ghisingh realized that to his peril and so must all the politicians in the Hills and beyond.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Chief’s declaration that March 10, 2010 will herald a new era of Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai may have come too early and not based on much reasoning. Sources in GJM point out that since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared its desire for the formation of smaller and more administratively effective states in the nation, the formation of Gorkhaland after the installation of BJP lead National Government is essentially a foretold conclusion. If there is such a thing as a ‘foretold conclusion’ politics sadly would lose all its charm for me. Yet, if one were to take the said reasoning as a concrete fact for the declaration of the date for the inauguration of Gorkhaland, I wonder would BJP keep up to its promise for yet the Temple at Ayodhya is to be built. An issue which helped it to gain a seat at the National Government and which again brought it done from that same seat after its failure to deliver. At the same instance if we were to look into the Congress Party’s declared stance on Telangana when the formation of the State of Telangana was in the manifesto of the Congress Party so much so that after the formation of the Congress Government at the Centre, the first Presidential Speech to the Nation declared the formation of Telangana as inevitable. Yet we know today that the term of office for the Congress Party in the National Government is to be completed, Telangana as yet remains to be realized. Congress Party insiders today declare that within the months of the declaration of the General Election the Congress Party and its allies will declare their desire to form the Second States Reorganisation Commission after their coming back to the power. But will that promise again be delivered? I bet not. The National Parties be it Congress or the BJP have the habit of picking on the regional parties to get the best out of them as long as they get the regional parties in question to support them during the General Election. The Gorkha National Liberation Front boycotted almost three General Elections to help the Communist Party of India Marxists candidates win the Darjeeling Constituency through the majority Dooars Terai vote. Wooed by the Congress later, it supported Dawa Narbula even though the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) an all party conglomerate sans GNLF and CPIM came to support the Congress candidate. Today, Dawa Narbula can’t even make his stand on Gorkhaland clear, albeit his personal stand even if he was voted to the Parliament on the issue of Gorkhaland.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha thus must realize that the National Parties may not always deliver on its promises and that their stance on issues shifts with the position of sun on the earth, declaring March 10, 2010 as the inauguration of the state of Gorkhaland is not at all a good idea.

The Key to Gorkhaland is not in Kolkata

All political leaders in the hills must realize that the Key to Gorkhaland is not in the hands of the State. Kolkata or the State Communist Party of India Marxist Government neither has the will nor means to work towards the formulation of Gorkhaland or for that matter Kamtapur or Greater Coochbehar. There are only two ways in which a new state could be formed in India – i) Direct Political will shown through a Party forming the National Government or the largest party in the National Parliament. A State after discussion and setting up of a Parliamentary Committee on the same can be set as a Bill being passed forthwith through a simple majority. ii) Formation of a States Reorganisation Commission.

While the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha election may go to the polls with the promise of “we are in favour of smaller states and hence, we will create as many as 50 to 60 states in the nation” winning over the regional parties as in GJM, the possibility of their sticking to their promises might not be possible as almost all states with sizeable political participation in the centre will be against its break up into smaller states, solely because their political power will diminish effectively. At the same instance, the Congress Party may go to the polls promising the setting up of the Second States Reorganisation Commission. Which still, albeit it creates after its inauguration of Governance at New Delhi, the realization of newer States may still not be possible unless a nation wide exigency forces it to do so. Where Gorkhaland will then stand only time can tell? Parties like Gorkha Janmukti Morcha should then realize that statehood movements like Gorkhaland must be made into a national issue based on which political strategies are made at the Centre…not at the State…where the formation of states like Gorkhaland becomes a political beneficiary motive for the National parties like Congress and the BJP. And this can only be done, once again, as I repeat by bypassing the State and by bringing together all the statehood movements all over the nation under one umbrella making it a powerful entity both in terms of strength, number, political reach and most importantly Member of Parliaments. Only then with the National Parties who run the national Government be interested. Or else separate statehood movements will only be ‘pockets of disturbances’ in the Indian National Map.

Realize that some of its political programmes are a bit impractical

Gorkhaland Personnel

The Gorkha National Liberation Front raised the Gorkha Volunteer Corps (GVC) under the stewardship of Chhatray Subba as the overall Tactical Commander, the result being that the Gorkha National Liberation Front and the Gorkha Volunteer Corps fought a protracted civil war leading to more causality on both side than the Gorkhaland Agitation itself. Chhatray Subba later went on to form the Gorkha Liberation Organization, whereof his alleged involvement in the attack of the GNLF Chief’s motorcade at Saat Ghumtee led to his subsequent arrest and his imprisonment without trail. Subash Ghisingh immediately pursued a vindictive purge everyone he deemed to be against him. Most of the said purge then was carried out by Bimal Gurung himself, Gorkha Janmutki Morcha’s President and Founder. Albeit, Bimal Gurung is not the same man (as told to this author himself by the GJM President – “I am not the same person…I am different today. I am responsible towards the people and have duties towards them”), his decision to form the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) is still a bit too reminiscent of the Gorkha Volunteer Corps, of which he himself was once an Area Commander (Singamari-Singla Constituency). Further more, the involvement of the Ex-service men and statements coming out of them – “GLP will act as the filter in the society,” as stated by Retired Colonel Ramesh Allay, intellectuals in the hills today, increasingly find themselves asking the question - GVC ‘filtered’ out much of ‘independent reasoning’ from Gorkhaland Movement I, will GLP not repeat the same? GJM must come out with a concrete programme on “why GLP is essential and how it will operate… what will be its parameters of operation and upon what philosophy is it based.” I wonder, individually though how long will the GJM leadership refrain itself from using it against the opposition?

Intelligence reports emitting from Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai suggest that the State Government is closely watching over the recruitment drive and the developments vis-à-vis the GLP. Initials assumptions may very well suggest an immediate crack down on the training sites by the State Enforcement Authorities. Darjeeling Combat Force has not been raised to tackle the farmers protesting in Nandigram. The 9mm Glock, Berretta and AK 74 armed, grenade welding Commandos have selective missions to carry, and I worry they might be the young innocent youths who are today making beeline at the recruitment drives held by the GJM for the Gorkhaland Personnel. No matter how unarmed and peaceful they might be…all the State Government needs is an excuse to quell the disturbance or as it will then see as – armed rebellion. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha thus must tread cautiously least that the ‘Democratic and Non Violent Gorkhaland Agitation’ that it has so far championed may not be labeled otherwise.

Gorkhaland Personnel may otherwise be called the “Gorkha Red Cross” or the “Gorkhaland Human Aid Workers” or perhaps even more politically correct “Gorkhaland Volunteers” spreading across the Hills and Dooars Terai and indeed the nation as such, spreading the message of Gorkhaland, educating people, helping them and weaving them all together in the fabric of unity, humanity and brotherhood and most importantly on their unanimity of love towards Gorkhaland and nation as a whole. The Gorkhaland Volunteers can be a Volunteer’s Organisation with active participation of school and college children, teachers, lecturers, professors, academicians, doctors, engineers, professionals, authors and the whole acting together as a mass organization. The key Philosophy being mass social youth activism instead of Militancy styled youth movement. The participation of the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha (Gorkha People’s Liberation Students Front) and the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (Gorkha People Liberation Youth Front) could be vital in this movement of social activism. Gorkhaland Volunteers could be trained in Landslide Relief and Evacuation, Earthquake Relief and Evacuation, Fire fighting etc. This would bring about more people involvement in the movement heralding a new era of people participation. In fact, seminars on Gorkhas and Gorkhaland could be organized by and for the Gorkhaland Volunteers preparing them to act as ambassadors of Gorkhaland to other part of the nation and world as a whole. The Gorkhaland Volunteers singularly or with association with other individuals and organizations can establish ‘Help Desk’ for students in all colleges and institutions in the nation, regional students’ chapters and support groups. Indeed an entire philosophy of how, why, what, when, and where of the Gorkhaland Volunteers could be worked out in consultation with every individual concerned who aspires for Gorkhaland.

Gorkhaland Vehicle Registration Drive

The issue of GL plates is fraught with so many legal implications that even the Central Committee today accepts the fact that it might not as well be applicable. The latest policy shift of implementing it in a phased manner is just an example of GJM’s lack of conviction on its own programme. The replacing of WB vehicle plates by GL plates will make a vehicle liable for seizure under Road Transport Act. A Criminal Case of using fake vehicle registration number could be applicable to all those who uses it. While the moral question of “stating one’s resentment to West Bengal’s Authority over Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai and a semblance of Gorkhaland could be simply brought by every individual willingly and voluntarily on their part by crossing over the WB and writing GL on top of it.” This would essentially show one’s resentment more effectively at the same time make it impossible for the authorities to act on it legally. There is no law to persecute anyone for defacing the Vehicle Registration Number. The authorities will not be able to arrest the driver or seize the vehicle because it essentially has the original and valid Vehicle Registration Number albeit “much vigorously resented by the owner of the said Vehicle as shown by the crossing out of the WB”. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha would not have to maintain a Transport Department and go through the seething number of 20,000 plus applicants for GL plates nor would it have to maintain the records of the said number of vehicle owners in the Hills and Dooars Terai.

Revitalize - Convince Oneself and the People

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is lately seen as backing up on its programmes too frequently. So far, as recent memory serves GJM has declared indefinite strike five times and withdrawn it five times. Even the forced exodus of all the tourists from the hills promised thereafter with resolute fight for Gorkhaland brought about a flak. The tourists left stuffed on trucks like herds of animals only for the hills to go back to normality within a few days. This did bring about media focus on the hills but what resulted out of it was negative publicity which the Gorkhaland Movement can least afford. GJM has to understand that it has to make practical and effective agitational programmes if it wants to achieve Gorkhaland in the too short a period it has offered itself – 21 months as of July 2008. It will also have to put in a convincing act and lead the people through it no matter how hard it might be. Hunger strikes should not be frequently and continuously applied as a means of agitational programme. Further students should not be made to participate in it and if at all Hunger strikes are forced upon by circumstances they should be resounding forcing the national and the global media to focus on it. Hunger strikes if at all needs to be applied it should be staged in New Delhi, State’s Capital and possibly before the United Nations. Indefinite strikes will only lead to more hardship for the local people and its effective use upon the State and the Central Government is lost in the fact, that it does not affect them; a more effective agitational programme should thus be devised. The GJM’s request to the people not to pay taxes is such an effective tool. The payment of telephone bills and the electricity bills albeit may not work as the Public and Private Sector Companies now operating in this sector may simply cut off their services sending the Hills and the Dooars Terai into Medieval oblivion. Revolutions in the 21^st Century cannot be fought using candles and smoke signals.

A new set of programmes must thus be worked upon using intellectual Gorkha Minds. GJM must revitalize! Accept its weakness and work upon them. Accept its strength and not gloat upon them. Be Humble! Be Approachable! Be open to suggestions and criticism! Only when it opens up to suggestions and criticism can it grow and learn. It should not be rigid like the Gorkha National Liberation Front and rule and deliver party policies through closed doors; it should remain to be a People’s Party.

RESTRATEGIZE

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will have to take a step back and restrategize. Given that it has only 21 months to lead the people into Gorkhaland, it has to learn to be more effective at grass-root levels and at the national level. It has to learn to handle media and more so the national and international electronic media to its advantage. Media savvy Team of Professionals should be handling the media. They should be initiating programmes, acting as liaison officers and as an effective Public Relations Personnel of the Party. It would not be a bad idea to have individuals efficient in politics, journalism and different languages handling the media. A party media spokesperson speaking in chaste Bengali to a Bengali TV or in chaste Hindi to a Hindi TV will be a battle half won. The leaders will have to learn to project themselves to the National media and brush up on there expressive and language skills. Seminars and Workshops on “How and Why Gorkhaland” should be the order of the day and the party should pick up vital points from them not just stick to what it has already laid for itself. In fact, I would go to the extent of saying that it should “restrategize everything involving how and when Gorkhaland can be achieved” seeking as much feedback from the intellectuals and the lay as it can.

Bimal Gurung and all the leaders working in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has so far done well with their share of victories and defeats, they have yet to play a big role in the conjoined destiny of the people and the land, bringing all the parties together on the issue of Gorkhaland and working together will take them far and in the same instance working with all the leaders and parties involved in the separate statehood movements all over the nation will help them achieve Gorkhaland.

“I am not against this or in favour of that. I am against misrule of any kind whether it is brought about by a Government or a party. I believe in every man’s right to Freedom and Self Determination even if he is a Muslim who is Black and is a Gay living in the middle of Manhattan, USA” – Barun Roy (To New York with Love. A Novel Published by Mandalay Books, 2006 )